pendleton



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. H. PENDLETON OABLE RAILWAY.

No 887,908 Patented Aug. 14, 1888.

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2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. H. PENDLETON.

CABLE RAILWAY.

,908. Patented Aug. 14, 1888.

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JOHN ll. PENDLETON, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAPID TRANSIT CABLECOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CABLE RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,908, dated August14, 1888.

Application filed December 19, 1887. Serial No. 358,345.

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. PENDLETON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Gable Railroads, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact specifieation.

My invention appertaius to cable railways; but it relates moreparticularly to traction devices designed more espcciall y for use atcurves on elevated cable railroads for the purpose of conveying the carsaround the curves without the employment of the main traction-cable atsuch junctures. Therefore the object of my invention is to accomplishthis end and at the same time prevent a great loss entailed by damagedone to the main traction-cable by running the same around a series ofsmall wheels or rollers arranged to conform to the radius of the curve.This old method is especially detrimental to the cable and expensive,for the reason thatin an exceedingly short time the small rollers becomegrooved and their bearings worn to worthlessness, and the cable, sinkingitself into these grooves, is con tinually frayed by their sharp edges,and when the spliced portions reach the rollers they do not fit thegrooves like the balance of the cable, but are supported entirely by theragged edges of the grooves, and thus to these portions particularlygreat detriment is caused.

My invention. consists, essentially,of an auxiliary chain or cable-belt,situated at the curves curves in the road,with suitable means foroperating it, and an arrangement by which the said chain isautomatically put in and out of motion by the traveling train or car.

The invention consists, also, of various features of novelty, which willbe specifically pointed out in the claims hereto annexed; but first Iwill describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,which form apart of this application,andin which- Figure 1 is a planview of the track at a curve, showing the auxiliary cable employed by adotted line. Fig. 2 is a side view of the mechanism at one end of thecurve, showing a portion of the cable which extends around the curve forautomatically operating the device, and also showing the operatingrodex- (No model.)

tending to the watchmans box. Fig. 3 is a view showing the balance ofthe operatingcable and the operatinglever attached thereto, and the formof cablc-tightener employed at the other end of the curve, these lattertwo views being of a single track only. Fig. i is a transverse sectionof the track, showing the manner of guiding the auxiliary chain and theautomatic operating cable around the curve. Fig. 5 is a transversesection of the track employed for guiding the chain at the straightcourse.

The endless-chain belt employed in this device forms the subjectonatterof my application Serial No. 258,350, filed even date here with, and towhich reference maybe had for amore detailed description of the samethan that given herein; and the manner of arranging it is identical withthat shown and described in my application for United States LettersPatent, Serial No. 258,852, filed even date with this, the maindifference between the two in ventions being that one device is operatedby electricity,while the other (the present) is operated by compressedair or other suitable fluid, and consequently their operating mechanismsare widely different.

In this invention I employ a main pipe, 1, which runs from a main plantat the terminus of the road up one track and down the other. This mainis suitably supported to the trellis work of the road and feeds intoauxiliary reservoirs 2, which are supported under the tracks near theend of each curve in the road,

and from this reservoir the engine a is supplied with fluid underpressure through the pipe 4.

The endless ehui n belt 5, as in my aforesaid applications, hasprojecting edges 5 and a central upwardlyprojecting fin, 5", with whichasuitable grip engages, is at the curve supported and guided above andbelow the track by horizontal grooved wheels or rollers 6, arranged inpairs, and at the straight portions at the ends of the curve by groovedtrackrails 7, secured to the longitudinal beams 7,and in the grooves ofwhich wheels and track-rails the projecting edges of said chain engage,These horizontal guide-wheels and beams 7 are supported roc by thecross-ties (3, the wheels being mounted upon vertical spindles 6", whichlatter are journaled in the journal-boxes 7, mounted upon the crossties.The large sprocket wheels 8 9 at each end of this belt, and over whichthe belt travels, are mounted on shafts 10 11, which are journaled instandards 12 13. The standard 13 is mounted on a carriage, 14, havingwheels 15, and which is itself mounted upon a track, 16. At the rear ofthis carriage are two upwardly projecting brackets or standards, 17, andsecured horizontally to this is a ratchet-bar, 18. Secured to the underside of the cross-ties directly above and parallel with this ratchet isa rail, 19, which has pivoted at one end a pawl, 20, adapted to engagesaid ratchet, and at the other is hung a pulley, 21. A cable, 22, ispassed around a traveling sheave, 23, and is secured at its ends to thesaid rail and ratchet-bar, respectively, and secured to the pintle ofthis sheave is a cable, 24, which passes over the fixed pulley 21 andsupports at its other end a weight, 25, which holds the belt normallytight and lodges the pawl in another notch when the slack is taken up.

On theshaft 10 are two cranks, 26, which project at an angle offorty-five degrees, or thereabout,from each other for the purpose ofobviating dead-centers. These cranks have the piston-rods of the enginesconnected to them by pitmen 27, in the usual manner, and thus adapt theengine for revolving the sprocket-wheel 8 and causing the chain belt totravel with the car or train secured thereto by a suitable grip, 44.

The pipe 4, which feeds to the engines, may be provided with a valve,28, operated by the governor 29, in order to regulate the speed of theengine while conveying the car around the curves.

As before stated, the operation of this device is automatic,as willpresently be described in particular; but at the same time it is verydesirablethat the operation should also be under the immediate controlof a watchman or other operator stationed at a point-such as thewatchmans box 30-wherefrom a view of the track in both directions iscommanded, as it often happens that an accident of some de scriptionoccurs on or near the curve and necessitates the stopping of the trainupon short notice, which could not be done unless some arrangement inaddition to the automatic arrangement is employed.

The arrangement which places the operation of the device under thecontrol of the watchman may be described as follows:

In the pipe 4, which feeds the engine, I 10- cate a valve, 31, which isprovided with an operating crank-arm, to which I attach a pushrod, 32,which is provided with a link or slotted end, 33.

34 is a push-rod, which extends to the watchmans boX 30, and is thereprovided with an operating-lever, 35. At the other end of this red is astud or lug, 36, which fits in the link 33, and which latter is adaptedto slide to and fro therein. The rod 34 passes through two standards, 3738, and bears midway between these standards a lug, 39, at each side ofwhich, coiled on the rod, is a spiral spring, 40, which springs bearequally against the lug 39, and thus hold the push-rod 34 in a normalposition with the lug or stud 36, midway between the ends of the slot orlink 33. It will be seen that by the employment of this link 33 the rod34 is allowed a little lost motion when operated in either direction,the object of which will now be explained in connection with themechanism for operating the device automatically. The said mechanismconsists of an upwardly-projecting lever, 41, whichis located at the endof the curve from which the car approaches, and is provided at its upperend with a cam or bent portion, as shown, with which any suitableprojection from the car engages and oscillates the lever forward,carrying with it a cable, 42, which is attached to its lower end andsupported around the curve between grooved wheels 43. Thiscable isattached at its other end to the link 33, as shown, and consequentlypulls upon the rod 32 and opens the valve 31 in the pipe which feeds theengine, and causes the endless belt to travel over its sprocket-wheels,with the ear securely fastened thereto by the suitable grip 44. Now,when the car reaches the end of the chain belt, the same projectionaforesaid comes into contact with another upwardly-projecting lever, 45,which has the rod 32 pivoted thereto above its fulcrum, and closes thevalve 31, and at the same time sets the lever 41 up in its normalposition; but this action does not impart any motion whatever to the rod34. Thelink slides harmlessly over the stud 011 the end of said rod, andthe operating-lever 35 in the watchmans box is not caused to oscillateviolently and endanger the watchmans safety.

The main traction-cable 46 goes straight forward at the curve and passesaround a large pulley, 47, provided with agroove for the cable.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

'1. In a railway, the combination, with the auxiliary traction devicelocated at the curves, and the engine having athrottle-valve foroperating said device, of an upwardly-projecting lever pivoted near oneend of the curve, and a cable connecting said lever with saidthrottle-valve, whereby the latter may be operated, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination, with the endless traction-belt located at a curve,and asuitable engine provided with a throttle-valve and adapted toimpart motion to said belt, of two upwardly-projecting levers, onepivoted near each end of the curve, a cable connected to one of saidlevers below its fulcrum and to the other above its fulcrum, and a rodconnecting the latter lever with said throttlevalve, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

3. In a railway, the combination, with a sprocket-wheel located at eachend of a curve,

IIO

a chain belt on said wheels, and an engine provided with athrottle-valve and adapted to impart motion to one of said wheels, oftwo levers, i1 45, one near each end of said curve, a cable secured atone end to the former lever below the fulcrum, a link to which the otherend of said cable is attached, and a rod pivoted to the throttle-valveand to lever 45 above its fulcrum, and attached to said link and the rod34, having its end secured in said link, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the valve 31 in the feed-pipe, of the push-rod32, adapted to operate said valve, a link or slot in said rod, a studadapted to slide in said link, a rod securedto said stud, a lug on saidrod, and two springs bearing equally against both sides of said lug,whereby the stud is held normally in the center of said link or slot,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the sprocket wheels 8 fl, arranged one at eachend of the curve with their axes horizontal, of a chain belt adapted totravel over said wheels and having projecting edges, wheels arrangedaround the curve and having grooves for the reception of said edges, anupwardly-project ing lin on said chain for the attachment of a grip, anda suitable engine for imparting motion to said spiroelietwvhccls,substantially as l at forth.

6. The combination, with the cross-ties and the chain 5,11avingprojecting edges, of journal-boxes mounted on said crossties, verticalspindles in. said boxes, and pulleys or rollers mounted on said spindlesand having grooved peripheries for the reception of the projecting edgesof said chain, substantially as set forth.

7. In a railway, the combination, with the engine and a reservoir forcontaining fluid under pressure, of a feed-pipe extending from saidreservoir to the engine, a valve in said pipe, two lovers, at 4.5,pivoted below and extending above the track, a cable attached to thelever {4L1 below its fulcrum and connected with the lever 41-5 above itsfulcrum, and a rod pivoted to the latter lever and to said crankvalve,substantially as set forth.

J. H. PENDLETONA XVitnesses:

Hnnnnn'r KNIGHT, F. A. HorKiNs.

